MasterClass Raises $100 Million in Series E Funding

SAN FRANCISCO, May 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- MasterClass, the streaming platform that makes it possible for anyone to learn from the best, today announced a successful $100M Series E fundraise led by Fidelity Management & Research Company with participation from new investors including Owl Ventures, 01 Advisors and existing investors NEA, IVP, Atomico, and NextEquity.

Continuing its mission of unlocking human potential by enabling an everyday learning lifestyle, MasterClass plans to put this latest funding towards a better member experience, international expansion, product innovations, employee growth, and continued expansion of its instructor roster.

The company continues to innovate at the intersection of learning, entertainment, and inspiration. In the past few months, MasterClass has continued to launch new classes from the world's best, delivered MasterClass Live streamed forums with its instructors, and deployed new apps to enable viewing on big screens, including AppleTV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku devices, and Android TV.

"We launched MasterClass because we believed there was an opportunity for a different approach to the learning model," said David Rogier, co-founder and CEO of MasterClass. "This round of funding will enable us to expand MasterClass's offerings so that we can continue to feed curiosity and inspire the world to try something new. We're excited to be working with Fidelity Management & Research Company as we enter this next chapter of growth."

Launched in 2015, MasterClass currently has 85+ classes taught by world-renowned instructors on business and leadership, culinary arts, photography, writing, lifestyle, and more. Each MasterClass has digestible video lessons sized to fit into any part of your day and cinematic visuals with close-up, hands-on demonstrations that make you feel one-on-one with the instructor. An All-Access Pass is $180 USD per year.

MasterClass is available anytime, anywhere on iOS, Android, desktop, and, recently added, a new suite of apps for Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, and Roku devices. Subscribe to greatness at MasterClass.com.

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ABOUT MASTERCLASS
Founded in 2015, MasterClass makes it possible for anyone to learn from the best. With MasterClass, step into Anna Wintour's office, Timbaland's recording studio, and Neil Gaiman's writing retreat. Improve your serve with Serena Williams, perfect your pitch with Shonda Rhimes, and leave the atmosphere with Chris Hadfield. Hundreds of video lessons from 85+ of today's most brilliant minds are available anytime, anywhere on iOS, Android, desktop, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Roku devices with the All-Access Pass ($180/year). Subscribe to greatness with MasterClass.

MasterClass's current roster of classes includes:

Business: Howard Schultz (business leadership), Anna Wintour (creativity and leadership), Sara Blakely (self-made entrepreneurship), Bob Iger (strategy and leadership), Chris Voss (art of negotiation), Goodby and Silverstein (advertising and creativity), Robin Roberts (effective and authentic communication)

Culinary Arts: Gordon Ramsay (cooking), Alice Waters (home cooking), Thomas Keller (cooking techniques), Wolfgang Puck (cooking), Dominique Ansel (French pastry), James Suckling (wine appreciation), Aaron Franklin (Texas BBQ), Massimo Bottura (Italian cooking), Gabriela Cámara (Mexican cooking), Lynnette Marrero and Ryan Chetiyawardana (mixology)

Film and Television: Werner Herzog (filmmaking), Martin Scorsese (filmmaking), Ron Howard (directing), Spike Lee (filmmaking), Mira Nair (independent filmmaking), Jodie Foster (filmmaking), Ken Burns (documentary filmmaking), Helen Mirren (acting), Samuel L. Jackson (acting), Judd Apatow (comedy), Aaron Sorkin (screenwriting), Shonda Rhimes (writing for television), Natalie Portman (acting), David Lynch (creativity and filmmaking)

Lifestyle: Bobbi Brown (makeup and beauty), RuPaul (self-expression and authenticity), Kelly Wearstler (interior design), Ron Finley (gardening)

Music and Entertainment: Steve Martin (comedy), Christina Aguilera (singing), Usher (performance), Reba McEntire (country music), Herbie Hancock (jazz), Deadmau5 (music production), Armin van Buuren (dance music), Hans Zimmer (film scoring), Tom Morello (electric guitar), Carlos Santana (art and soul of guitar), Timbaland (producing and beatmaking), Penn & Teller (magic), Itzhak Perlman (violin), Danny Elfman (music for film), Sheila E. (drumming and percussion) 

Writing: James Patterson (writing), David Mamet (dramatic writing), Judy Blume (writing), Malcolm Gladwell (writing), R.L. Stine (writing for young audiences), Margaret Atwood (creative writing), Dan Brown (writing thrillers), Neil Gaiman (storytelling), Billy Collins (poetry), David Baldacci (writing thrillers), Joyce Carol Oates (short story writing), David Sedaris (storytelling and humor)

Photography: Annie Leibovitz (photography), Jimmy Chin (adventure photography)

Design and Fashion: Frank Gehry (architecture), Diane von Furstenberg (how to build a fashion brand), Marc Jacobs (fashion design)

Sports and Games: Serena Williams (tennis), Stephen Curry (shooting, ball-handling, and scoring), Garry Kasparov (chess), Daniel Negreanu (poker), Phil Ivey (poker strategy), Simone Biles (gymnastics), Misty Copeland (ballet)

Politics and Society: Jane Goodall (conservation), Bob Woodward (investigative journalism), Karl Rove and David Axelrod (political campaign strategy), Paul Krugman (economics and society), Doris Kearns Goodwin (U.S. presidential history and leadership)

Science and Technology: Chris Hadfield (space exploration), Will Wright (game design), Neil deGrasse Tyson (scientific thinking and communication)

For more information, please visit www.masterclass.com.

Follow MasterClass:
Twitter @masterclass
Instagram @masterclass
Facebook @masterclassofficial

SOURCE MasterClass

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